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Emergent Biosolutions Begins Phase 1B Study of Potential Dengue Cure

Emergent Biosolutions IncImage: emergentbiosolutions.com

Business executive Fuad El-Hibri leads the board of trustees of El-Hibri Foundation, an organization focused on promoting peace and inclusivity in a diverse society. Besides his philanthropic work, Fuad El-Hibri chairs the board of directors of global biopharmaceutical company Emergent Biosolutions Inc.

In February 2017, Emergent Biosolutions Inc. announced it was beginning a Phase 1b study to assess how safe and tolerable UV-4B was. UV-4B is an antiviral under development as a potential treatment for the dengue virus. It works by targeting host glycosidase enzymes to reduce virus infectivity. If the trials are ultimately successful, the host-based action mechanism can be re-applied across a broad spectrum to treat other diseases such as SARS, Zika, and influenza.

Emergent’s Phase 1b study will enroll 40 adults from different US sites. The study is funded by the National Institute of Health’s Department of Health Human Services.

The Center for Disease Control estimates there are 100 countries affected by the deadly dengue epidemic, many of them in the tropics. These countries report up to 400 million new dengue infections annually, and there is no known cure for the disease.